MIPS architecture gets Android Port thanks to Embedded Alley

Embedded Alley, an embedded Linux development company, has created a MIPS port …

Embedded Alley, a company that specializes in mobile and embedded Linux technology, is porting Google's Android platform to the MIPS architecture. The port could make Android a viable choice for hardware makers in a wide range of product categories beyond the mobile phone market.

The scope of Android's adoption potential is a topic of considerable speculation. The platform is touted by Linux enthusiasts as a choice for every kind of mobile device, from netbooks to set-top boxes. Although we think it's not really a strong contender yet in the netbook space, we have pointed out that it is gaining some real traction on touchscreen tablet devices and media players, including some that are scheduled to launch this year.

The MIPS port by Embedded Alley could potentially accelerate Android's growth in the consumer electronics market and bring the Linux-based platform to new kinds of devices, including car computers, medical instruments, and industrial equipment.

"Combining hard-won expertise in the MIPS architecture, in-depth knowledge of the Android platform and experience in a range of applications and technologies, Embedded Alley is uniquely positioned to expand the Android application space," said Embedded Alley COO Matthew Locke in a statement. "This background, together with our strong involvement in open source communities and projects, makes Embedded Alley an ideal partner for chip vendors and OEMs going to market on this exciting new platform."

The port is initially targeting RMI's Alchemy Au1250 SoC. According to Embedded Alley, the port is highly comprehensive and entailed compatibility and optimization efforts at several layers of the stack, including the kernel, drivers, development toolchain, and Android's Dalvik virtual machine.

I spoke with Embedded Alley president Paul Staudacher and analyst Bill Weinberg about the potential opportunities for growth in the Android ecosystem. Staudacher says that Embedded Alley is seeing considerable demand for Android among its customers. He acknowledges that Google's focus with Android is primarily on the smartphone market, but he believes that third-party investment can take the platform to the next level. His company aims to broaden Android's horizons and offer its services to hardware vendors who want to take advantage of the platform in new contexts.

One fundamental characteristic of Android that is both a strength and a weakness is its insular nature—an issue that we explored at length in our overview of the operating system. Android's unique userspace stack offers no compatibility glide path for porting applications to and from conventional Linux environments, but it does offer a significantly higher degree of cohesion across devices, which means less fragmentation and a more predictable target for third-party software developers.

We asked Staudacher and Weinberg for their take on these aspects of Android's design. Their answer is that Android offers a lot of unique strengths that are drawing developers to the platform and encouraging the emergence of a strong third-party application ecosystem. They believe that this will more than adequately compensate for Android's lack of support for existing Linux software.

Weinberg views Android as a compelling middle ground between conventional mobile Linux stacks—where permissiveness and modularity have resulted in significant fragmentation—and proprietary vertical stacks like Windows Mobile, which are more rigid and lack mutability. Android provides a highly structured and consistent solution, he says, but it also provides enough flexibility to make it easy for carriers and device makers to differentiate their products and customize the user experience.

Embedded Alley's MIPS port reflects the potential for Android to grow into new markets through third-party vendors outside of Google. It serves as a compelling validation of Google's decision to release Android under an open license and it also illuminates the kind of opportunities that exist for companies that want to build businesses around the Android ecosystem.